Brunswick Stew to DIE FOR.

Yesterday's resolution sent us searching for the perfect recipe.  Man oh Man did we find it. It was very properly titled "Get a Husband Brunswick Stew."  When I tell you that I will be dreaming of this meal tonight, I am not kidding.  I'm glad we made a large pot.

Last weekend, we smoked a large turkey breast, a brisket, and a pork shoulder.  (Heck, if you fire up the smoker, you make it worth it.) Needless to say, we had leftovers.  That's what sent us in search for a Brunswick recipe.  I'm going to pass it on (with my variations) so that you can enjoy it on a chilly day in your house.

Remember, our meat was seasoned and smoked for 28 hours and was AMAZING... so I'm sure that had something to do with the stew being so good. 

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onions (1 BIG onion)
• 2 stalks celery, chopped  (I used 4-5 stalks)
• 1 1/2 pounds ground pork     (just chopped up our pork shoulder)
• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef      (chopped up our brisket)
• 1 (3 pound) whole cooked chicken, deboned and shredded  (pulled apart our leftover turkey breast)
• 3 (14.5 ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes with liquid, chopped   (used 4 cans of diced tomatoes)
• 1 cup ketchup  (only had 3/4 cup on hand)
• 1/2 cup hickory flavored barbeque sauce  (used 3/4 - 1 cup of a combo - half sweet baby rays, half mastercraft - again what we had on hand!)
• salt and pepper to taste
• hot sauce to taste (optional)   (USED A BUNCH!)
• 1 green bell pepper
• 3 (14.75 ounce) cans cream style corn  (used 2 cans of this and one can of whole kernals drained)

I added some chicken broth to thin it out and get it to stew consistency  (we had so much meat).

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet, and saute the onions and celery until soft. Mix in the pork and beef, and cook until evenly browned. Do not drain.
2. Transfer the pork and beef mixture to a large stock pot over low heat. Stir in the shredded chicken, tomatoes and their liquid, ketchup, and barbeque sauce. Season with salt, pepper, and hot sauce. Place the whole green pepper into the mixture. Cook, stirring occasionally, 2 hours, or until thickened.
3. Stir the cream style corn into the stew mixture. Continue cooking 1 hour, or to desired consistency. Remove the green pepper; chop and return to the stew or discard.

I started the stew last night knowing it wouldn't be done in time for dinner. HUGE HUGE HUGE mistake. The smell filled the house and made our tortilla pizzas seem ridiculous.  We set the pot back on the stove today for an hour or so before dinner to warm it and threw french bread in the oven.  I'm pretty sure that this recipe could win some sort of award.  I cannot wait to eat it again tomorrow!  ENJOY IT!!

Today's Resolution was to organize our filing cabinet.  John has been working on it throughout the day, and I'm just going to let him have at it :)   I'll sit this one out!

Tomorrow's resolution:  Start reading budgeting books (that have been sitting on our bookcase forever).  Isn't a budget part of everyone's resolution?  We have a very tight budget, but can't seem to follow it - so I'm hoping the research will help us!